Google Apps and Office 365 working together in Switch Communications

Switch Communications announced it will start working with Microsoft’s Office 365. Until now, they had only worked with Google apps. In fact, founders of Switch used to work there, including its CEO Craig Walker.

Switch will exchange data with Outlook mail, Outlook calendar, and LinkedIn. Office 365 users will be able to log into Switch with their Microsoft credentials. Switch users will also be able to see their most recent shared emails and appointments when on a Switch call. Credit: msftexperts.wordpress.com

“We were always focused on the Google users, the users we felt were the most forward thinking,” CEO Craig Walker said, according to TechCrunch. “They took the first step to the cloud. But you look at the amount of progress Microsoft has made in Office 365 in moving people from their in-company exchange to the cloud, Microsoft is equal to or a little bigger in the cloud than Google.”

Switch is a company that offers services based on the cloud technology, focusing on business and helping companies to communicate better among themselves and customers, developing a system for your phone to control every aspect involved with the management of your company.

When a Switch user gets a call, it will be redirected to a specific function according to what was configured by the company using it. Now, they will receive information and data from Office 365 services like email and documents, as they are already getting LinkedIn profiles and information from Google Apps.

“Switch understands the way we work and has helped us communicate more effectively within our company and with customers,” said Dave Bour, Manager of IT Operations, ClassPass according to the Switch Communications website.

Although Google and Microsoft intended to build something similar to Switch, they preferred to play nice and join the platforms, as working together means “one thing less to do” to these major companies.

“Google created this cloud category, was an early innovator, but Microsoft has quickly closed the gap, so it only makes sense that we would build a product that supports those users as well,” Walker said to VentureBeat. “This is a two-horse race; we want to enable all businesses to use Switch,” he concluded.